Thanks to Zack going completely wild, all but one of them had completely lost the will to fight, sitting cross-legged on the floor in proper seiza, trembling like leaves.
That sole exception was...
"We're the Kamadouma Family, working under Akegarasu!"
...a tall, bearded, bald-headed man—evidently their boss—who had been squawking the exact same threat over and over for the past several minutes.
"And?"
At my flat response, his eyes went wide in disbelief.
"What do you mean, 'And'?! Do you have any idea who Akegarasu is?!" he barked, spraying spit everywhere.
"Yeah. If I recall, they're the kings of the underworld, standing right alongside the Tao Family and the Lost Forest."
Even someone like me, who had lived on the straight and narrow, knew the name Akegarasu. They were an ultra-famous syndicate.
I see. So that was why he could still act so tough even after Zack had beaten them all to a bloody pulp.
"That's right! The kings of the underworld! You bastards are finished! Done for!! And not just you! Your parents, your siblings, your lovers—we'll hunt down every last person connected to you, torture them to pieces, and slaughter the lot of you!!"
Looking at this bearded, bald thug indulging in fantasies that would never come to pass, I mused:
"Hmm. You yap like an annoying little cur. Looks like you need a bit of discipline."
I rolled up my sleeves and retrieved several implements from my Item Box, having organized them for just such an occasion.
"Master, what are those?"
Zack asked with an understandably tense expression, to which I replied:
"Hmm? Just magical tools to make someone obediently want to spill everything."
I casually picked up one of the devices laid out on the floor.
Lately, Faf had spent most of her time playing with Mew and had stopped reading books. That gave me plenty of time to thoroughly digest a large collection of rather sinister dungeon-tome classics.
"W-What do you think you're doing?!"
Grabbing the bearded bald man by the collar as his voice cracked in sheer panic, I said:
"Naturally, something that will make you feel like talking."
I forced him down into a chair, the corners of my lips curving upward.
A pathetic shriek slipped past his lips...
"So you're saying your group is just a mid-tier mafia syndicate running this district of the capital, and you're only permitted to exist because you pay tribute to Akegarasu?"
Just testing out a few techniques from those pages had been enough to make him start spilling all their secrets without hesitation.
Roughly forty percent of the Kamadouma Family members who had watched the demonstration firsthand were foaming at the mouth, completely passed out. The remaining sixty percent were shivering uncontrollably, weeping tears and snot as they desperately begged for mercy.
"Y-Yessir! But we don't know a single damn thing about Akegarasu itself!"
"Not a thing? Then how do you pay your tribute? You can't pay them if you never make contact, can you?"
"We pay through a broker here in the capital! It's the honest truth! Please, believe me!!"
Finally, the bearded bald man pressed his forehead flat against the floor, practically wailing the words.
It didn't seem like a lie. It was almost certainly the truth. Well, they were supposedly the kings of the underworld, after all; there was no reason for them to deal directly with bottom-feeders like these.
"Hmm, this might actually prove useful."
Since I wanted to avoid drawing unwanted attention to myself going forward, ties with the underworld were essential. Those people were reasonably skilled when it came to staying hidden.
Of course, it carried risks. But to develop our territory in the days ahead, high-minded platitudes wouldn't get us anywhere. We desperately needed the underworld's capabilities. And if I was going to pull them in anyway, those reigning at the top held far more utility than low-level thugs.
Besides, no matter how strong they claimed to be, they were still just criminals. Their actual military might was bound to be pathetic compared to the standing armies of nations. That had already been proven by the fact that these men were nothing more than armed amateurs. Even if their leaders called themselves kings, their true strength was likely negligible.
"Aah, here we go. Master's bad habit is showing again."
Zack shrugged, shaking his head.
Was it just my imagination, or was Zack getting increasingly brazen around me? At this rate, he was acting just like Rose.
Well, whatever. More importantly, it was time for today's real objective.
"Now then, guide us to the top information broker in the capital at once."
When I issued the command, the man scrambled to comply.
"Yessir. I'll take you there right away."
The bearded bald man rose swiftly, and though staggering on trembling legs, led the way.
Hmm. A complete turnaround from his earlier defiance; he was now exceptionally obedient. As expected, when dealing with underworld figures, thoroughly beating them down and making them acutely aware of the power disparity—just like the monsters in that Easy Dungeon—seemed to be the best way to ensure total submission.
"Master, you're seriously terrifying, you know."
Looking at the bearded man's sheer terror with half-lidded eyes, Zack offered that deeply unflattering assessment.
"You think so? I didn't feel it was that big of a deal."
"No way in hell. No one in their right mind would ever come up with something so gruesome."
Gruesome, he called it. Those torture manuals contained countless techniques far more revolting than that. What I had done was downright tame by comparison, and I had even fully healed him once it was over. Above all else, Zack was the last person who had any right to talk after beating them all half to death with his bare hands.
"G-Guv'nors... what organization are you with?"
To the bearded bald man asking in a quavering voice, I offered a loaded reply:
"Who knows? But I think you'll live a lot longer if you don't pry, don't you?"
Instantly, all the color drained from his face, and he didn't utter another word for the rest of the walk.
We entered a brick house tucked away in the southwestern corner of the royal capital, where he made the introduction:
"This is the capital's top information broker, Mujina. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm outta here!"
After introducing us to a young woman wearing shorts, a black cloth wrapping her chest, and a black robe draped over her shoulders, he bolted from the building as if running for his life.
"Welcome. Since the Kamadouma Family brought you in, I'll give you a discount on whatever info you need."
The black-haired girl in shorts sat cross-legged on a chair, puffing lazily on a long pipe. After regarding the two of us with an amused, curious gaze for a moment, she got straight down to business.
In the end, what I asked from Mujina was information regarding discreet, inexpensive lodgings and details about the area surrounding Eastend.
As for the lodging, she actually recommended buying an old estate in the southeastern part of the capital. Apparently, the mansion sat right next door to the Kamadouma Family boss's residence; because shady, rough-looking characters constantly drifted in and out of the area, it had struggled to find a buyer, causing its price to plummet.
The southeastern district was relatively unsafe, a place where nobles wouldn't dare set foot under any circumstances. It was the ideal spot for plotting in secret.
Afterward, through Mujina's mediation, I purchased the three-story estate from the owner for eight million aul.
When I paid a visit to the neighboring Kamadouma Family boss's house—bringing along sweets renowned throughout the capital to thank him for his help—it turned into an abandoned building by the very next day. Hmm. I wonder why.
After that, we hired local builders to handle the cleaning and renovations, and seven days later, everyone moved from the inn into our new base.
"It's so biiiig!"
"It is vast, yes!!"
Faf and Mew squealed with delight, running around the spacious estate in high spirits.
Here, we could hold strategy meetings to our hearts' content without worrying about prying eyes. Besides, it was almost time for our next scheduled meeting with Mujina. I had a feeling we would finally get some thoroughly detailed intelligence on Eastend.